Just Another Brick in the Wall
by Owl and Crow
Summary: Don't read this unless you've read any of my other Harry Potter stories...It was not one week after James made that decision that a beautiful red haired orphan walked straight into her king.
1. Chapter 1

"My soul sails on the wind of your whim, you have no idea the power you hold over me." – Scarlett, December in Maine 2003

A/N: DON'T READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ ANY OF MY OTHER HARRY POTTER STORIES OR HAVE READ MY PROFILE. THE AU THEME IS EXPLAINED IN MY PROFILE. BEFORE READING THIS YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT MOST OF THE CHARACTERS ARE NOT HUMAN. IT HAS ALL BEEN EXPLAINED IN MY OTHER HARRY POTTER STORIES AND IN MY PROFILE. I WILL NOT BE EXPLAINING IT AGAIN. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME REVIEWS TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. I WILL NOT ANSWER THEM.

For everyone else, thank you for clicking on my new story and please enjoy!

Just Another Brick in the Wall

Chapter One

It is common place in a Royal Pagan family for the father to be distant and at times cruel. This goes back to the very beginning of the Juarez clan. Ivan Ward had little time to spare for his eldest son James. The time Ivan did spend with his son he used to criticize James. As James grew and had children of his own he became the same cold and distant father that his father was.

This characteristic traveled down from father to son, mother to daughter until it came to Richard and his youngest son, James. James was the youngest of his four siblings. He should not have had to deal with his father's cruelty. Had it not been for his eldest brother Joseph he would not have. Joseph was everything that Richard wanted his heir to be: clever, strong, handsome, and kind. But Joseph fell in love with the High Queen. While Richard was happy that the Juarez's would finally be High Royalty, he was still upset that Joseph would not be taking his throne.

So Richard looked to the second eldest, Tina Juarez. But Tina was a judge. In fact she was the first Pagan in history to be a judge and princess at the same time. She loved her job and refused the crown, much to her father's chagrin. Richard then looked to the oldest of his twin sons, Arthur. Arthur was the Dien Representative in the House. With a sad shake of his head, Arthur refused the crown, stating the fact that his position was for life. Richard asked the other of the twins, Mario, but he refused as well. He said that a life in politics did not suit him, all he wanted was peace and quiet with his young wife. The last of Richard's children was the one son he openly disliked the most. 

James.

Richard was one of three children. He was the middle child. His older brother was Prince James the 17th. James was ripe and ready to take the crown, when quite unexpectedly he fell in love with a faerie girl. He had to choose between the crown and his lover. He chose his lover. With great reluctance, James let Richard take the crown. Richard had always wanted to be king and was very happy when his brother was unable to take the crown. You see, James Juarez the 17th was not allowed to break the High Law, and High Law dictated that all royalty must marry within their species to keep the line pure. That did not keep James from being jealous of his younger brother, and certainly did not keep him from being unusually cruel to Richard either.

Naming his youngest son James was not Richard's idea, but his wife's. Desdemona Bloom was a general in Richard's army when he met her. They fell in love and she left her position to become his wife. Desdemona was a smart Dien and quickly noticed the tension between Richard and his brother. She hoped to relieve some of that tension by naming her youngest son James. She never thought that James would be king and hoped that Richard would not be as hard on him because James was his son. She hoped in vain.

Richard was just as cold and indifferent to his son as he was to his brother, while poor little James only wanted to please his father. He tried everything to be good enough for him, but nothing was good enough. By the age of five, James stopped trying. In his search for something to please his father he found his true passion. 

The military.

James loved everything about the military. He felt battle was an art that few people see the right way. James thought that battle was a carefully organized dance, where the main objective is to destroy one's partner. He realized that battle was deadly, bloody and down right bad, but he just could not keep himself from thinking about it. In James' young mind all battles were fought for some greater purpose. He had dreams of glory, glory so great that his father would have to be proud of him. He wanted not just glory, but to somehow make the lives of the people better.

In a purposefully malicious act, Richard gave over his crown to James when his son was only eleven years old. He hoped that James would be overwhelmed by the position. He was wrong. 

James excelled immediately. He gained the trust and love of his people within the first five years of his reign. He improved the standard of living so vastly that when he raised the taxes, people hardly noticed.

When asked where the extra money was going, James just smiled. In fact, he was building up the army. Though he had grown and learned that not all battles were fought for some greater good, he would not stop hoping he could make the lives of all the Dien better.

For some reason, James did not make his move into battle until after he was married, one hundred thirty-nine years after he was crowned. It may seem like a long time, and it is, but it must be understood that James' father was a bachelor king for four hundred years. By all accounts he was rather young when he got married.

--

When Mrs. Claire Donelly found herself pregnant, she panicked. The father of her illegitimate child had been a human, Cormac Evans, and he was not her husband. More importantly, she had not waited to get the Appeal before having intercourse with her mortal lover. So far they had gone unnoticed, but that could only last so long.

Claire had one daughter with her husband, Petunia Donelly. She was afraid for herself, her lover, and her children. Taking all of these things into account, Claire hid her pregnancy from everyone and once her daughter was born, she gave the child up for adoption. Not a month after that, Claire and Cormac were found out. Cormac was put to death and Claire died in jail shortly after that from a broken heart. Claire had named her daughter Lily Claire Evans.

Lily was a beautiful baby. She did not cry or fuss. Her angelic face was surrounded by soft red curls, and her porcelain skin was peppered ever so lightly with freckles. It was all of these traits that enticed a lonely old Dien, named Auberon Belden, to adopt her at the young age of nine months. 

Adelaide Black was a single Siren woman. When she found herself pregnant, to say she was surprised was an understatement. For fear of her father's wrath, she gave up the child, but not before naming him after her favorite star, Sirius.

Sirius had a handsome face, even as a baby. He was not what one would call a good child though. Unlike Lily, he cried all the time. But most of all he fussed for more food. It was the mischievous glint in Sirius' eye that drew Auberon to him. Sirius was adopted the same day as Lily.

Alice Clowes was the runt of her Lycan pack. She was well looked after by her mate, but she knew that he could not protect her and the child growing in her womb. She wanted her child to be born with a clean slate and she knew that would never happen if he were born within her pack. To give her son the chance he deserved, she left her only child on the door step of an orphanage with a letter indicating the child's name. The agony of losing her only child caused Alice to lose her footing and fall off a cliff with no real effort to save her life. She named her son Remus Lupin.

Remus was a lively baby. With pale complexion and intelligent eyes. Remus was a baby that only cried when necessary. It was his endearing laugh and generous hugs that drove Auberon to take him home.

Auberon Belden owned a small apartment building that he managed alone. It was not his intention to remain unmarried, life just sort of happened that way. But Auberon was not one to settle for something that he did not like, and he did not like being alone. So he decided that if he could not have a wife, he would have a child. Upon entering the orphanage he had not intended to leave with three babies in his arms. But once he gazed upon Lily's gorgeous green orbs, Sirius' chubby pink cheeks, and Remus' delicate demeanor he could not resist them. That day the lonely apartment manager became the father of three very different, very special, very young little babies.

--

James had been king for one hundred and thirty-nine years and had fallen into a familiar rhythm. If he slept he would wake very early in the morning, take a refreshing walk through the indoor garden, perhaps have something to eat, and then take on whatever problem faced him that day.

It seemed to the people of Tunisia that no female could possibly fit perfectly with their perfect king. But James knew that somewhere there was someone who was just right for him.

His father pressured him to find a wife and have some children. In his constant effort to be worthy of his father's love, James searched high and low for his match. But she was no where to be found. Little did James know that this was because she had not been born yet.

When James realized why his father was so adamant that he marry, he pulled even farther away from his cold father. James comprehended that his father only wanted him to marry and have children so that James would no longer be king. James had already dwarfed his father. The people of Tunisia would only remember Richard as being the father of their great King James. In hopes of preserving the tenderness his mother had instilled in him, James no longer listened to his father. Instead he focused on improving the kingdom and building the army.

It was not one week after James made that decision that a beautiful, red haired orphan walked straight into her king. 


	2. Chapter 2

lined with sun colored hair

They poke their heads In Like small children, all trying to be in the picture.  
All trying to stand taller than they can.  
They shine bright!  
With heads lined in sun colored hair.  
With many green arms reaching every direction.  
I look at them and,  
one smiles.  
With its head lined with sun colored hair.

--Danielle Juarez 3/02

A/N: Many thanks to those who read! I only got one review, but it was more than I was expecting. Thanks to GrannyHPfan for putting me on your Alert List! It means that you're reading and that means a lot! Thanks!

Chapter Two

Lily was not the most graceful of Pagans. In fact she was downright clumsy. She spent most of her school day apologizing to people for walking into them, or dusting herself off after walking into walls, doors, windows, or tables. The only way she managed to keep her job was because of her step brother, Sirius.

Lily's boss fancied Sirius, and Sirius knew how much Lily's job meant to her, so he would go with Lily to her job and flirt with her boss. Sirius knew very well how clumsy his step sister was, having been walked into upon many occasions. 

An eighteen year old Sirius Black rushed down the stairs from his apartment to Lily's. He knocked on the wooden door. "Are you ready, Lily?" He yelled. The door opened and Lily ran head first into Sirius. He fell backwards and she fell right into his chest.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm just feeling a bit clumsier then usual today, and I'm late on top of that. I'll probably lose my job today if I'm much later," Lily said trying to get off of Sirius. He pulled her to her feet and helped her pick up her things that had fallen all over the hallway floor.

"Come on, Lils. I'll flirt extra hard today, just for you," Sirius said. He followed her out of the apartment building that they lived in and on to the street.

"Well then we best hurry. I don't want to make it any worse," Lily said. She began to run through the crowds of people that littered the street that day. 

Sirius could picture the crash that was about to happen.

"Lily, wait up!" He yelled, in an effort to slow her down.

"Why!" She yelled, looking back at him. Just then she collided gracelessly with someone. She fell to the ground for the second time in fifteen minutes. "Oh poo!" Sirius managed to get to her and pull her up. "That's the second time this morning, Sirius, and probably won't be the last. I'm not fit for employment, I should just quit," Lily said.

"And do what with your life? Sit at home and have cats?" Sirius asked.

"Cats are nice," Lily said, smiling.

"I guess, but I really think you ought to apologize to the poor soul you ran into," Sirius suggested.

"Of course." Lily turned around and smiled up. Her smile soon faded as she realized who she had run into. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," Lily said. She began to bend at her waist until she remember that Sirius was standing right behind her looking just as shocked as she had. She straightened again and hit the back of her head into Sirius' chin.

"Ouch! Lily!" Sirius yelled holding his chin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm just worse then normal today," Lily said. She pulled at her hands trying to think of what to do next. "We should probably just go." She turned back to the gentleman she had walked into, looked him straight in the chest and said, "I truly am sorry, my lord. I meant no offense. I'm just rather clumsy." She did not look him in the eyes, because when she did, she got this odd feeling in her heart; like everything would be alright if she just let herself fall into his embrace. Instead of falling, again, she walked past him, with Sirius close behind.

"What is wrong with you today Lily? Are you feeling alright?" Sirius asked, rubbing his throbbing chin. "I mean, you don't usually fall quite this much."

----

King James the 18th liked to walk through his kingdom on a weekly basis. He thought that at that rate, he could reach every city in his kingdom by the end of his reign. He wanted to see his people. He wanted to witness the hardships that they went through everyday. More than anything, he wanted them to feel close to him.

In all of his years as King, never had anyone run into him. 

He was in an average sized town that was only a couple of miles away from the Capital City, and his palace. But somehow, someone had gotten past his guards and run straight into his back. James turned around and stopped his guards before they could properly threaten the person. Beyond that, James could not think to do much. All he could see was the back of her, with long red hair that reached the middle of her slender back. She was short, but James was sure that she would fit perfectly in his arms.

He watched as she spoke to the Siren male that had helped her to her feet. He was so taken by her sparkling green eyes that he neglected to hear a word she said to him. James smiled a bit when she jerked her head into the Siren standing behind her, and gazed in sadness as her petite form flounced away from him.

It was only after she had vanished from his sight that he could think straight again. The governor of the town was talking to him in earnest, probably apologizing for the girl's lack of respect. James held up a hand and continued gazing in the direction the girl had vanished in, while he asked, "Who was that?"

"She's a local girl. Her name is Lily Claire Evans," the governor said. "She's always running into something or someone. She's always been rather clumsy. I personally think that-" James put up a hand to silence the small Dien.

"Where may I find her?" James asked.

"She works at the restaurant down the street." The governor pointed in the direction Lily had vanished in.

"Thank you," James said. He walked down the road looking for a glimpse of red.

----

Sirius leaned on the counter and smiled charmingly at the blonde Dien female standing behind it. She knew that nothing would ever happen between her and Sirius, but the thought that something might made her feel young again.

Lily stumbled noisily through the small restaurant. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but could not keep her mind from those hazel eyes gazing down at her. No one had ever looked at her like that before. She liked it, and that scared her. She could not fall in love with her king.

Kings do not marry commoners. And they certainly do not marry common ophans.

Lily gazed at the wall while she absentmindedly wiped up a table that still had customers at it. The door to the restaurant opened and closed, without Lily so much as glancing up, even though she was supposed to be the Hostess. She did not stop wiping until Sirius muttered at her, "Lily!" She looked up at the group of people standing at the door. It was him.

She left the rag at the table and walked to him. As she looked up into his eyes, she felt her heart fall, metaphorically, into her stomach. She swallowed and tried to talk.

"Table for six?" She asked. James was flanked by five body guards, but as she said this, James found himself confused. He smiled when he realized who she was talking about.

"No," he said shaking his head. "I'd like a table for two, please." Lily nodded and grabbed two children's menus while not taking her eyes off of James. She led him to a table in the corner.

"Will someone be joining you?" Lily asked. The thought of him with another female made her heart ache.

"Only if you'll sit with me," James said laying his hand on hers. Lily squeaked and pulled her hand away. The rush she got from his words and his touch was almost too much for her to handle.

"I'm working," she said. Her mind was racing. The only comprehensible thought was that they could never be together. But the look in his eyes told her differently. That look told her that anything was possible. As long as they were together, they could do anything.

"I'll wait," James said.

----

After three hours of working, Lily was sure that she had gone mad. James had not moved from his seat and his body guards were scaring the other customers. If he had not been the king, he would have been asked to leave hours ago, especially since he had only ordered a glass of wine.

Lily grabbed Sirius and pulled him through the kitchen to the employee break room. Since Lily was walking so fast, she lost her footing and they both fell onto the old, oversized couch with a thud. Lily apologized as Sirius struggled to get off of her and back onto his feet. Lily just lay back on the couch with a bemused look on her face.

"What is it Lily?" Sirius asked. He leaned against the wall and looked at his step sister curiously.

"I think I'm in love, Sirius," Lily said. Sirius' face broke into a smile and he could not keep himself from snorting. "I'm not kidding, you great oaf!" Lily threw a pillow at him. It missed and knocked an ugly picture off the wall.

"Then who are you in love with?" Sirius asked. Lily fidgeted and looked embarrassedly at the floor. Sirius watched her for a moment before putting the pieces together. "You're in love with the king?" he asked. Lily nodded and kept staring at the floor. Sirius walked over, knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. "Have you told him how you feel?" Lily shook her head. "Have you even talked to him alone?" She shook her head again. "Well, go on then. What are you doing in here? He's out there, no doubt waiting for you, while you're in here moping about and throwing things." Lily smiled sadly up at her brother.

"Kings don't love commoners, Sirius," Lily said in a little voice. Sirius nodded his head.

"You're right, Lily. Kings don't love commoners. They love whom ever they choose. And by the looks our King was giving you as you walked past him, I'd say he's chosen you." Sirius lifted Lily's chin up and smiled at her. "Now, stop crying and go get your guy. By the way, I call godsfather of your future princes and princesses." Lily smiled and stood up. She walked back into the restaurant and right up to James. He turned to her and let his eyes slowly travel up to her face, which was glowing red by the time his eyes got there.

"Hello, you," James said in a seductive low voice. Lily promptly lost her nerve and did the only thing that came to her muddled mind. She grabbed his empty wine glass and asked:

"Can I refill this for you?" James looked a little put off but nodded anyway. Lily turned around and walked back to the kitchen. Sirius looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Lily refilled the glass and emptied its contents straight into her mouth.

"I can't do it, Sirius. I can't think when he talks to me. I just want to jump him when he looks at me like that. I can't do it," Lily rambled. She started pacing back and forth.

"When he looks at you like what?" Sirius asked. He was trying to make sense of his sister's manic mind.

"Like anything, Sirius. He could glance at me and I'd flounder. How am I supposed to have a normal conversation? Let alone admit that I love him?" Lily asked.

"Maybe you don't have to," Sirius suggested. Lily stopped pacing and looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Just go out there and sit with him. Let him do the talking until you're comfortable enough to talk." Sirius pointed at the door, Lily shook her head, he nodded his, she stomped her foot, and he pushed her out the door. Lily looked horrified at James, who was looking at her with a small smile on his face. Lily plucked up what little courage she had at the moment and walked over to him. He watched her the entire time and smiled broader when she sat down across from him.

"I knew you'd sit down eventually," James whispered. His smile invited her to say something, but Lily was still at a loss, so she just said the only thing that made any sense at the moment.

"I'm on my break," she said. James raised his eyebrows and nodded. "I still have like a million more hours of work to do, so you-"

"Better just wait until your shift is over?" James said, finishing her thought with his own. "My thoughts exactly." He winked and Lily tried to laugh nonchalantly, she failed miserably. They fell into silence. James seemed perfectly at ease to it, while Lily on the other hand was terribly uncomfortable. James was apparently memorizing her face and Lily was memorizing her lap.

"What do you plan on doing once my shift has ended?" Lily asked quite suddenly.

"I plan on taking you back to my palace for dinner. Afterwards I will take you to your home and perhaps try to kiss you. If you will let me, that is," James said. He wanted to do much more than that, but the nervous look on her face told him to back off. James reached out and offered his hand to her. With some hesitation she took it. "Do you not love me, Lily Evans?" James asked. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Of course I love you," Lily said quietly. James smiled. 


	3. Chapter 3

You worry that I will fall,  
Aye but I am one to soar.

You think that I am a fool,  
But my wit could even match you.

You fear that I will find another,  
But my soul is bound to you by a tether.

These careful words you say,  
Meant to wash the pain away.  
Away, away…

Each one a mockery,  
For to deny the other.

No words now,  
None now.

No worry, no thought, no fear,  
Not now, not ever.

No.

Be patient.

Danielle Juarez '06

A/N: A huge thank you to all of you who reviewed, and I hope that all of you who didn't review enjoyed it as well. Let's clear something up, James has been king for 139 years, he was crowned at eleven that makes him 150 years old. Lily, Remus and Sirius are all eighteen.

Chapter Three

Most Dien would never be caught sleeping. Most Dien were not Lily Evans. She loved to sleep. She slept during classes, during work, during the night, but most of all she loved to sleep after sex or a good snog. Sometimes she would fall asleep right after the snog or the sex, leaving her partner in an awkward position. But she did not care. She did not love any of her former partners.

Falling asleep was just one thing that Lily was worried about. She did not want to walk into James again, or fall all over the place. It was unlikely that she would not do either of those things. She had never gone a date with anyone without stumbling, falling on her face, or breaking something.

With all of these worries in mind Lily ran up to her apartment. She stumbled through the door and down the hall to her bedroom. She threw her wardrobe open and searched for a dress that was suitable for dinner with the king. The only dress she found that was not ripped, stained, or ruined in someway was a simple black dress that pushed up her breasts practically to her chin. The waist of the dress was right under her bosom and flowed gracefully down to her knees.

Lily did not have the proper amount of time to fret over what to wear and ended up making some fateful mistakes. She wore three inch black heals, when she was notorious for falling down stairs in flats. She wore her hair down; when she did that it would either get caught in something or on fire. She wanted her dinner with James to be perfect. But few things were ever perfect where she was concerned.

Lily ran down the stairs, or fell down the stairs, to her father's apartment. She knocked on the door. Auberon opened it and smiled at his daughter lovingly.

"Going on a date, dear?" he asked.

"Not just a date, papa!" Lily said. "I'm going to have dinner with the king." Auberon looked at Lily in disbelief.

"It's true, dad," Sirius said walking down the stairs. "He came into the restaurant today."

"Who came into the restaurant today?" Remus asked, walking out of his apartment.

"The king," Lily said.

"Really? What did he want?" Remus asked.

"Lily," Sirius said. Remus raised his eyebrows.

"Now, hush, Sirius. I'm sure Lily is nervous enough as it is," Auberon said. "There is no need to make it worse." Sirius and Remus smirked.

"Nervous, Papa?" Lily asked. "I'm a wreck! Well, I'm always a wreck, but he's just gone and made it worse. Here's me, not even sure that I'm fit for employment and the king just up and decides to fall in love with me, while I'm falling all over place! How can I be queen? I can hardly handle being the Hostess at a restaurant!" Lily exclaimed. Auberon cupped his daughter's cheeks in his rough hands and looked into her scared emerald eyes.

"You can do anything you like, Lily," he said. "Do you know why?" She shook her head. "Because everything you do, you make uniquely your own, and perfect for you. If our king makes you his queen, I am sure that you will do fine at it." Lily smiled, that was exactly what she needed to hear. "Now, you go have dinner with the king, and make sure to be yourself." Lily nodded. "Good luck, my dear." Auberon hugged her.

"Yeah, Lils, good luck," Remus said.

"Have fun, Lil," Sirius said.

"Thanks guys," Lily said. She turned and walked gracelessly down the remaining stairs and out the door.

"Maybe heals weren't the best idea," Remus said. Auberon shook his head.

----

Lily did a last minute adjustment before venturing out of her apartment building. James had been waiting outside while Lily got ready. He had told her that she looked fine as she was, and Lily told him to stop being silly. While he was waiting James tried to think of all the times in his life he had been called 'silly.' Lily was the first.

When Lily finally did come out, James was glad that she had talked him into letting her get changed. He walked up to her just as she began to fall toward him. James caught Lily before she hit the ground and held her elbow in an effort to keep her balance.

"Perhaps you should change your shoes?" James suggested. Lily shook her head.

"I doubt it would help much," she said. The confidence Lily bore when in James' presence had grown, but was not yet matured. She was not worried about what she said so much as what or who she would inevitably fall on.

"Well, I'll just have to keep a good hold on you, won't I?" James asked. Lily blushed, as James led her to his carriage. Lily sat close to the window, pushed the curtain open and stuck her head out. She really liked carriage rides. Wind in your hair, a comfortable seat, was there anything not to like about it? 

James pulled her back from the window and gave her a tight lipped smile. "You can keep it open, but I don't know how many people know you're important to me. It's always good to be a little paranoid when you're important to the king," James said. Lily nodded and sat back. 

She was thinking and she often got ahead of herself when she thought too much. Lily wondered whether she could live a life of paranoia. She was already pretty paranoid to begin with. Perhaps being queen would only make it worse. And she would be afraid to leave the house. Or even her bedroom or the bed. She would spend the rest of her life under the covers hoping not to be murdered while she hid in fear and James would leave her for some brave girl that would leave the bed--- Lily's thoughts were cut short when she felt James breath on her neck. He had moved very close to her. He smelled her hair and was running his hand up and down her arm.

"You're thinking awfully hard about something, my beauty. Might I inquire about the nature of your thoughts?" James said. He was trying to impress her, but all he managed to do was confuse her.

"Ummm… What?" Lily asked. She hated to look like she had not been listening to him, truth be told she only heard part of what he said. She kind of lost track of his words after he said, '… my beauty…'

"A penny for your thoughts?" James asked, smiling. It took Lily a lot of effort to pay attention to what he was saying and not to his hand, the likes of which had moved to the back of her neck. He was wreaking havoc on her hormones.

"I was just………………………" Lily paused trying to find the right word. It was getting very hard to do anything but blush. James had his hand running through her hair, and Lily could hardly think beyond it. "……………thinking, yeah thinking that's the word, about the future." James smiled. He had no idea what he was doing to her or the turmoil that went through Lily head when he placed his other hand on her thigh.

James was talking again but Lily could not pay any attention to him. All her thoughts were on his hand. She sat at the edge of the bench and tried hard not to fall to the floor. 

James was looking at Lily curiously. He had asked what she thought about the future, their future. But she had not answered him. Instead she was staring at his hand that he had put on her thigh. He could not help himself. She was so beautiful. He just had to touch her.

"Lily?" James asked. She looked up at him blankly. "What do you think of our future?" He asked again. Lily continued to look at him blankly, finally she figured out what he was asking.

"I think that I'll never leave our bed," Lily said without thinking first. James tilted his head and thought. He took his hand off of her thigh and ran it through his hair. Lily blinked and realized what she said. "I didn't mean it like that!" Lily said quickly. She put her hands over her face embarrassedly.

"I was about to say……… you know what? Never mind," James said.

Like most Pagans his age, James had thought a lot about the moment he met the one he would love forever. He had always pictured them running into each other's arms, kissing, protesting love for each other, never had he imagined that he would be sitting next to his lover wondering what the hell was going on in her head.

James looked away from Lily, seemingly deep in thought. Lily sat playing with the hem of her dress hoping not to make the date any worse. James still had his hand running through her hair and Lily was content to enjoy it without worrying about answering any questions.

"You look beautiful tonight, Lily," James said. Lily felt the need to point out that he was not even looking at her when he said that, but refrained from commenting.

"Thank you," she said. "You look nice as well." James looked back at her and smiled. Sitting hunched over, playing with her shirt, Lily looked incredibly young to James for a moment. It was only then that the magnitude of their age difference hit James. He was one hundred fifty, and she was eighteen.

James cupped Lily's cheeks and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I will always love you," James whispered. As soon as he realized their age difference, he came to the conclusion that it did not matter. Lily did not hear him, though. Her eyes were closed and she put her hands over his. She felt like she had been hit in the head with a sack full of bricks and loved every second of it. "Lily? ………… Lily?" James said. He wanted to hear her say it too.

"Hmmmm………" Lily said. She did not open her eyes. She did not want the moment in her head to end.

"Tell me you love me," James said. Lily opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times at James.

"I love you," Lily said simply. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Lily got fed up. She wanted another kiss and when she had her mind sent on something, generally she got it. She batted his hands away and jumped onto his lap. As soon as she was comfortable she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. They had not been kissing for one minute when the carriage rolled to a halt and the door swung open. Lily squeaked and scampered off of James, who was still reeling from Lily's searing kisses. 

When James came down from his high he looked irritated at the butler who had opened the door. He got out of the carriage and held his hand out for Lily. Meanwhile Lily had her head in hands, embarrassedly. She did not notice James get out of the carriage, so she just sat there with her head in her hands.

"Lily?" James said to get her attention. Lily looked up dejected. "Are you coming?" She nodded and tried to make a graceful exit from the carriage. But as we all know very little is graceful where Lily is concerned. Her shoe got caught on the wood paneling and she fell into James' arms. Luckily he had been prepared for this.

He helped her gain her footing and kept his arm wrapped tightly around her waist as he led her into his palace. He took her through the doorway between the two grand stairwells and down the long hallway into the throne room. They headed for a door on the left wall. James opened the door for Lily and let her look in awe at the large indoor garden.

He took her to the terrace over looking the large pond. A table had been arranged there, it was set for two. Lily and James sat down. Lily unrolled her silverware and laid her napkin on her lap. While Dien do not need to eat on a regular basis to survive, Lily quite enjoyed it. She was not hungry at the moment, but she did fancy something to eat.

James followed Lily's lead and watched her look around the garden with excitement glittering in her eyes. She pointed up behind James and said, "Look there's a bird in here!" James smiled at her.

"I know," James said.

"But you aren't even looking," Lily said. She let her arm fall back to her lap. James turned around and looked at the pretty pink bird that had caught her eye. She smiled when he turned back.

"You're very pretty when you smile," James said. Lily blushed. "And when you blush." Lily laughed and covered her face with her hands. James reached out and took her hands in his. "Don't cover your face, my love." Lily smiled and bit her lip.

"Why not?" She asked.

"If you cover your face I can't admire its beauty." Lily squealed happily and put her head down. James ran his hand through her hair. "The food is here, my darling." Lily sat up straight and blushed at James, who just looked at her lovingly.

"Why aren't you eating?" Lily asked. She loved her soup, she loved it so much that she ate all of hers before James even tried his.

"I'm not terribly fond of eating," James said. Lily licked the remaining soup from her spoon. She did not notice the effect her actions were having on James.

"Really? Because I love to eat. I love to cook as well. I make the best chocolate chip cookie dough. Do you like chocolate chip cookie dough? Because if you do, well you've got to try mine. It makes crap cookies, but the dough could end wars, I swear." While Lily was talking James was watching her little, pink tongue trace circle on the spoon. James had not heard a word she said and only looked away from the spoon when she dropped back into the empty bowel. "So, what do you think?" Lily asked.

"I think I need to outlaw spoons," James muttered to himself.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Ummmm………" James had not meant for Lily to hear him.

"If you get rid of all the spoons it'll be very hard to eat soup……… Or ice cream. I love ice cream. Are we having ice cream for dessert? Can we please? I do love ice cream!" Lily exclaimed.

"Sure, we'll have anything you want," James said. 


	4. Chapter 4

"What the CRAP!" – Me, I say it all the time.

A/N: Yes, it took forever for me to update this story. I've had it written for forever, I was just too lazy to type it up. So, here it is…

Chapter Four

The bell had just rung. The whole class was leaving the room as quickly as possible. All but one. Remus Lupin was never in a rush to leave his Speciology class. Not because he particularly enjoyed the class. No, it was because he was in love with his teacher. 

He knew it the second he saw her. He walked innocently into her class the first day of that year and stood shocked at the door. She was everything he could possibly want, and never knew he needed and he did not even know her name. All he knew was that he loved her and when her gaze met his, he knew she loved him too.

He stayed after that day and kissed her like he would die if he did not. They planned to meet after school and talk. They did talk, they talked about how their relationship would have to work, but mostly they kissed. She thought that it would be best if they did not go public with their relationship until Remus graduated. He grudgingly agreed.

He could not keep himself from staying back in her class and kissing her once the room was empty, though. 

And so he did. She looked up, knowing that he would be there waiting for his kiss. She bid him to her and smiled as he walked slowly up to her desk.

"You rang, Ms. Wolfson," Remus said. Remy Wolfson grabbed the front of Remus' shirt and kissed him. He moved his hand to the back of her head and tried to deepen the kiss. She pulled away.

"Soon, Remus," Remy said. "Soon, we can do as we please. But not now."

"Three months isn't soon," Remus said.

"But you'll wait, won't you?" Remus bent down and kissed her again.

"In three months I shall snog you senseless on this very desk, right in front of the whole class," Remus promised. Remy laughed and kissed him again. There was a knock at the door, they jumped apart.

"Am I interrupting something?" James asked. Remy relaxed.

"Remus, you ought to be getting to your next class," she said. He gathered his books and left. James smiled and walked up to his old friend. "You nearly scared me to death." She hugged him anyway.

"Do tell who that was," James said. He sat down in one of the desk and Remy sat in the desk next to him.

"He's one of my students," she said.

"I'm scandalized!" James exclaimed.

"We've only ever kissed, so get your filthy little mind out of the gutter!"

"That explains why he looked like he wanted more."

"I don't doubt that. I want more." Remy blushed. James took her hand.

"Then why haven't you given yourself more?" He asked. Remy shook her head.

"He's my student," she said. "It would make class awkward."

"But-" James began.

"Why are you here, James?" Remy asked. She did not want to talk about the choice she made. She knew that he would be able to talk her out of it.

"Yesterday I met the most amazing person," James said. He looked past Remy; he got a dreamy look on his face. He remembered how sweet she tasted, especially after her huge bowel of ice cream. He smiled as he thought about how disgruntled she looked when her dress got caught on a rose bush and tore. They kissed for five minutes in front of her apartment building before she ran up to her flat. "I'm in love Remy and it's awe inspiring." Remy smiled.

"It really is, isn't it?"

"She literally ran into me," James said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What's her name?" Remy asked, smiling. She knew how long James had waited for his lover. He deserved happiness.

"Lily Claire Evans." Remy's look of joy turned to one of surprise.

"She's in my class," Remy said.

"Really?" James asked. She nodded. "So, you can tell me about her."

"Didn't you talk to her?"

"I did but……… she's very distracting, you know? It was also hard to understand her. She'd say things that she didn't mean. And I'd get confused because she was confused. It was the oddest dinner I've ever had," James said.

"Lily is Remus' step sister, James. She's an orphan," Remy said.

"She talked about her father, though."

"They were adopted together. Her, Remus and another one, Sirius Black."

"Tell me about her, Remy. I feel like I don't know anything about my lover."

"She's very smart. Her friend is the dumb one. But you don't want to know about her friend. I've noticed that when she's nervous she's clumsier than usual. She also tends to ramble when she's feels she isn't prepared for something. She does that before tests. Just talks. Not really about anything. Before the exam she was very forgetful and didn't seem to me that she could articulate what was on her mind. I asked Remus about it. He said that when she's comfortable in a situation she carries herself with ease. But when she's not she stumbles all over herself. He also said that if she weren't clumsy there would be no mercy in the world," Remy said, smiling.

"Why?" James asked.

"She has the best grade in my class, James. While she's not gifted in the walking department she makes up for it in her studies. That girl is a genius if you ask me."

"Hmmmm………"

"She's in Serena's dance class, perhaps she could tell you more about Lily."

-----

James walked into Serena's dance class. He sat in the corner and watched her demonstrate a move for her students. They copied her. She told them to take a break once she noticed James. She walked over and sat next to him.

"What can I do for you, king?" she asked. James shook his head.

"Don't call me 'king.' You've known me far too long to call me 'king,'" James said.

"Then what can I do for you, James?" She asked.

"Remy told me that Lily Evans is one of your students," James said. He tried to sound casual.

"That she is."

"Could you tell me a little bit about her?"

"I could, but first you'll have to tell me why," Serena said.

"I met her yesterday," James said.

"And you were suddenly terribly interested in the poor, orphan girl, named Lily Claire Evans."

"Possibly."

"Tell me the truth."

"You think about the moment you met the one you will love forever, right?" James asked. Serena nodded. "Did you ever imagine that a week after you decide you'll stop looking for that person, they'll just run into you?"

"Lily ran into you, didn't she?" Serena asked. James nodded. "You want to know about her because you love her?" James nodded again. "Didn't you spend any time with her?"

"I spent the rest of the day with her. She was going to work so I sat in during her shift and then I took her to dinner," he said. Serena thought a moment.

"So that's why," she said to herself.

"What?"

"I mean there couldn't be any other reason."

"Serena, what are you talking about?" James asked. Serena shook herself and looked at James.

"Lily was fumbling all over the place today. She forgot moves she had all ready perfected, she couldn't walk across the room without falling at least twice. The girl was a mess. I asked her why, but she wouldn't say. But it makes perfect sense, really," Serena said.

"Are you going to tell why it makes sense?" James asked.

"You've turned a usually well balanced girl into a nervous wreck."

"I made her nervous."

"Who wouldn't you make nervous? She's just a little lost right now. She'll be her normal self once she figures out how to handle you. She doesn't do well with big new things that she has to deal with. She couldn't walk straight for a week when I introduced her to ballet. Just let her get used to you, then she'll bloom for you. Trust me."

"I make you nervous?" James asked, quietly.

"Have you been listening to a word I said?" Serena asked.

"Yes, I have. And I thank you for the information, but do I make you nervous?"

"Some times your image can be quite……… looming. But then I remember that it's just you. Just James. How can I be scared of the person who saved my life?" Serena touched James' cheek. The bell rang and Serena's dancers ran out of the room.

"Thank you, Serena," James whispered.

"You are very welcome. Now I best be going, I promised Jon I'd sit in on his Study Hall today."

-----

"I'm ashamed to call you two family," Sirius said. Lily did not bother to look up from her book, she just flipped him off and continued reading. Remus was curious though.

"Why?" he asked. Sirius shook his head.

"The two of you have become drooling love sick puppies and I'm ashamed to call you family!" he yelled. Lily flipped him off again and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be studying, Sirius?" Remus asked.

"No, no, no, no, Remus, this is Study Hall. Its function is for talking, not studying. T-A-L-K-I-N-G!"

"I get it, Sirius," Remus said. He pulled out some homework and started doing it.

"If you 'get' then why are you studying?" Sirius asked.

"It is called 'Study' Hall."

"YOU FOOL!" Sirius shouted.

"Could you please be quiet?" A very feminine voice from behind Sirius said. "Some people are trying to study." Sirius turned towards the voice and got the shock of his life. He stared open mouth at Serena Nerone, who stared back, shocked.

"Who are you?" Sirius breathed. Serena opened her mouth to answer, then closed it and shook her head. She cleared her throat.

"You may call me, Ms. Nerone. I'll be substituting for Mr. Smeth," she said.

"Oh," he said. He watched her sit behind her desk. He watched her fuss with the attendance and smiled when she caught him staring at her. His smile deepened when he noticed the blush on her pale skin.

"You are so transparent," Lily said. Her voice brought Sirius back to reality.

"What?"

"You luuuurve her," Lily taunted. Sirius squinted his eyes at her. "You want to kiiiss her. You want to huuug her. You want to fuuuuck her."

"Well, who bloody wouldn't?" Remus asked. He knew it would get a rise out of Sirius if he really did love Ms. Nerone.

"You take that back!" Sirius demanded.

"Looks like we're not the only drooling love sick puppies in the family anymore, Lily," Remus said.

"BLASPHEMY!" Sirius shouted. He was standing up pointing an accusing finger at Lily and Remus. She just shook her head and went back to her book, Remus scoffed. "Take it back!" Sirius demanded.

"Sit down and shut up before I give you a detention," Serena said. Sirius turned around and looked at her as he fell back into his seat. He thought a moment.

"Would that detention be served with you?" he asked. Serena tried to sigh in frustration.

"I suppose so, now please be quiet," she said. She caught herself wishing he would disobey her. She liked the thought of getting closer to him.

As if he were listening to her thoughts, he stood up, knocked his desk over and yelled at Remus, "I am not! Now take it back, you EVIL love sick FOOL!"

"Hallway, NOW!" Serena yelled, pointing out the door. Without arguing Sirius sauntered out the door. "Will someone please pick up that desk?" Serena asked. Remus obliged. "Thank you." She stood up slowly, trying to look as angry as possible, and went out into the hallway. "Is it impossible for you to listen when you are asked to do something?" Serena asked. Sirius leaned against the wall and smiled charmingly at her.

"I've never been one to listen to orders," he said. She raised an eyebrow. "But I've always been very good with punishment."

"Are you trying to charm me?"

"Maybe I am, is it working?"

"My uncle always told me not to trust charming people. They're usually up to no good," Serena said. She crossed her arms.

"Being good isn't any fun," Sirius said. He took her hand and pulled her towards him. His lips hovered over hers.

"I don't kiss people before I learn their name," she said. She turned her head away from him.

"I'm Sirius Black." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "You taste like flowers and wine," he whispered. She turned back and brushed her lips over his.

"You still have a detention with me after school," Serena said. She pulled away from him and stepped back.

"Where?" He sighed in defeat.

"My office."

"I don't know where your office it."

"It's at the end of the Dance Hallway. I assume you know where that is." Sirius cracked his neck and smiled at her.

"I know where it is."

----

"Tell dad I have a detention," Sirius told Remus. Remus swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Great, I have to tell dad you'll be off snogging the dance teacher and Lily's off snogging the king," he said sarcastically.

"We won't be snogging!" Sirius exclaimed gaining some unwanted attention. "It's a detention, not a date."

"You're supposed to finish that sentence with, 'unfortunately,'" Remus said. Sirius flipped Remus off and went to the Dance Hallway. He rushed down the hall to Serena's office. He knocked eagerly. He wanted to taste her again. The door opened and he was face to chest with Jon Smeth.

"What are you doing here, Black?" Jon said looking down at Sirius.

"He has a detention with me, Jon," Serena said, from behind him. Jon looked at her then back at Sirius.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Jon said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Serena." Then he left. Sirius watched Jon walk down the hall and turn the corner.

"You can come in, Mr. Black," Serena said. He walked into her cramped office and closed the door. "Sit there." She pointed at a chair right in front of where she was standing. He sat down. The chair was so close to her that he had to put his legs on either side of hers to fit. He dropped his bag to the floor and looked up at her.

"Do you want me to write lines or something?" Sirius asked. Serena tilted her head.

"What would I have you write? 'I will not flirt with my substitute'?" Serena asked. Sirius laughed.

"And here I was thinking you were enjoying it," he said still smiling.

"You really mustn't assume things, Mr. Black," she said. She bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. He leaned forward in the chair.

"Call me Sirius." He took her hand and ran his fingers over her palm. She laughed, it sounded involuntary.

"We mustn't, Sirius," she said. She pulled her hand away.

"Why not?" He asked, standing up. He was very close to her.

"I'm a teacher."

"Not my teacher."

"But a teacher none the less."

"Are you saying that teachers don't date?"

"Teachers don't date students."

"So, if I wasn't going to this school we would still be having this problem?"

"No, it's because you go to this school."

"What's wrong with this school?"

"You go to it!"

"What's wrong with me?"

"You are aggravating and too bloody handsome for your own good!" Serena yelled. Sirius smiled. She grabbed his face and kissed him and then she pushed him away. "That was inappropriate."

"Maybe," Sirius said. "But you know you liked it."

"That doesn't matter," she said.

"That's all that matters!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she said, softly. She sat down behind her desk, leaving Sirius in front of it.

"If you like someone or something you should let yourself enjoy it. If you don't, life will have no meaning for you."

"You are so young, Sirius."

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked.

"What?"

"If you were going to deny me, then why did you kiss me?" he asked again.

"I… I wasn't thinking."

"Or you were thinking, just not with your head." Sirius fell back into his chair in defeat. "Can we get this detention over with? I have some homework I should be doing and my dad doesn't like it when I don't at least check in at five."

"That's it?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"No more fighting? You've given up?" Sirius shook his head and let out a short laugh.

"Isn't that what you want?" he asked.

"No!"

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't know what I want!" Sirius stood up and leaned over her desk.

"Then why don't you give me what I want," he said. 

He stared into her dark purple and red eyes, daring her deny him. She stood up quickly, climbed on the desk and kissed him. Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. She tangled her fingers in his hair and coaxed him onto the desk with her. He scooped her legs from underneath her and placed her on his lap. She pushed him on to his back and ravished his mouth with kisses. They did not come out of this state until Sirius kicked the lamp off her desk.

Serena sat up and looked over herself. Her already short shirt was riding up, her hair was a mess and a few buttons on her shirt had come undone. Sirius was in a worse state. His once perfect hair was sticking up at odd angles, his t-shirt was half off and he was excited. Very excited. He was looking up at her with dark passionate eyes. He reached up and traced his finger across her jaw, down her throat to between her breasts. Her breath became quick and shallow. He flicked open another couple of buttons and ran his fingers over the lacy material of her bra.

"Sirius," she whispered. He sat up and kissed her chin. "We shouldn't do this-" Sirius cut her off with a kiss.

"Neither of us knows what we should be doing; let's just let this play out the way it does, okay?" Sirius kissed her again. She pushed him away.

"I don't want to have sex with you on my desk," Serena said. Sirius sighed.

"My flat is ten minutes away," he suggested. She shook her head.

"People might see us."

"Who cares if people see us?"

"I might get in trouble for this, so let's just keep it quiet until you graduate."

"Then where should we go?" Sirius asked.

"We could go to my house," Serena said.

"Great," Sirius said. He got off of her desk and pulled his shirt down.

"It's a twenty minute walk, Sirius." He huffed.

"Well, it's only three something, right?"

"It's 3:56, Sirius," she said.

"Damn it… why can't we just have sex here?"

"Because I will not become your personal whore that you fuck where ever you please!" Serena yelled angrily.

"I didn't mean it like that, Serena!" Sirius yelled back. "I only meant that I want you. I need you, Serena. You're so beautiful it would be special no matter where we do it."

"I have to work on this. I'll never get anything done on it ever again if we do that here," she said. "Besides, I'd like to know you better before we jump into bed." Sirius made a frustrated noise and fell into the chair in front of Serena's desk. Serena slipped off of her desk and fixed her clothes.

"You're a tease, did you know that?" Sirius asked. He smiled as she buttoned up her shirt.

"Oh yes. My first husband told me that and then he hit me and then I divorced him and took all of his money," Serena said sitting down behind her desk. She looked up at Sirius when he had been quiet for a while. His mouth was hanging open and he looked a little mad. "Are you all right, Sirius?"

"You were married? And the bastard hit you?" Sirius asked.

"I've been married twice, obviously I divorced them both. The first one because he hit me and the second because he verbally abused me……… I don't want to talk about this right now, Sirius. Why don't you go home now?" Serena suggested.

"We don't have to talk about it, but do I have to go?" Sirius asked. Serena reached across her desk and Sirius took her hand.

"I think you know how I feel because you're feeling the same. But I need some time to digest this and you said that you have homework to do."

"Can I see you again tomorrow?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. 


	5. Chapter 5

"James was the sort of man that could persuade even the most proper of women to lift her skirt so he could take a peek." – Danielle Juarez (From a story I started to write called 'SS')

A/N: Sorry, it took so long.

Chapter Five

Lily always hated tea. Dried leaves boiled in water. It just was not appealing to her. Besides if she wanted a boost in the morning she would have coffee. At least coffee did not involve straining moist gunk out of the liquid she intended to drink. Well, at least she did not have to strain the gunk herself that was the coffee machine's job, not hers. No, tea was not a Lily Evans thing.

But when Lily's boyfriend of almost two months asked her to meet his mother over tea she was not about to say, 'no, I hate tea.' One does not say that to the king. Then again she had said some interesting things to her boyfriend.

After two weeks of dating Lily was over being a nervous wreck and took it upon herself to bring their relationship to the next level. In other words after a date she took him up to her apartment and jumped him. He was more than happy to comply.

While James enjoyed the relaxed Lily he could not help worrying over how his family would react to his choice in lovers. An orphan commoner was not the first person one's thinks of as the future queen. So he decided to start off with someone who would love his girlfriend no matter who she was. His mother.

Queen Mother Desdemona Juarez was very excited about meeting her youngest boy's new love. Nothing made her happier than to see him happy. She squealed with joy when he finally told her about Lily. She insisted that they meet. In fact she was so thrilled about meeting her future daughter in law that she sent Lily a brand new dress to wear at their meeting.

James helped Lily put on the extravagant gown. They were in his room at his palace and Lily was to meet his mother in a matter of minutes. As James tied the laces on the back of the dress he watched Lily's worried expression in the mirror in front of them.

"She'll love you, Lily," he assured her. "My mother is the kindest person I've ever met. You really needn't worry."

"I'll worry all I like, James," Lily snapped. "You needn't tell me otherwise."

James pulled Lily back against his chest and kissed her exposed shoulder. He kissed his way up her neck to her ear. He glanced up at the mirror and saw that her expression had softened. He kissed her nape and made his way to the other side of her neck, she was particularly sensitive behind her left ear. She giggled softly as James teased her.

"Don't be harsh with me, love," he whispered. 

He let his fingers play along her collar bone. He knew that his soft touches were tickling Lily. She wiggled, trying halfheartedly to free herself from his embrace.

"Jaaammmesss!" Lily complained. He laughed and kissed her lips.

"Come along, Lily. You look beautiful."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lily asked. James led Lily down the long hall to the stairs. He stopped and looked at Lily when she spoke.

"You are mad, Lily Evans," he said.

"First of all why? And second of all, I am not!" she insisted.

"You should worry about meeting my father, not my mother. And you are too mad." He continued to take Lily down the hall.

"I am not, James," she whispered as they descended the stairs.

"You most certainly are mad."

"Am not!"

They kept this argument up all the way to the indoor garden, where Desdemona was waiting for them. Lily felt terribly uncomfortable in her gown. She had never worn a corset before or a gown that weighed over twenty pounds. Her hair was pulled back by a diamond hair pin that probably cost more than her apartment and everything in it, including her. James had dressed up a little bit as well, but he did not seem half as uncomfortable as Lily.

Lily was surprised when she first laid eyes on the Queen Mother. Desdemona had some of the same distinguishing characteristic as Lily. The long, curly, dark red hair, the porcelain skin peppered with freckles, the short curvy stature. Desdemona looked up at James and Lily. Her face broke out in a huge smile. She got up and embraced her son.

"Why, James, you never told me she was so beautiful!" Desdemona exclaimed. Lily blushed and clung to James' arm.

"Like I could ever describe her beauty," James said. His mother laughed, to Lily it sounded like a song. She grabbed Lily's hand and led her over to the table.

"Come along, dear, the tea is getting cold," Desdemona said. James sat next to Lily and watched her take a cautious sip of tea.

"Mmmm…" Lily faked. She put the cup down and popped a cookie in her mouth.

"So, Lily," Desdemona said. "James tells me you're still in school."

"Yes, but I'm graduating in a month," Lily said.

"Oh, wonderful! James, we should have a party!"

"That isn't necessary, really," Lily insisted.

"Nonsense, it's my pleasure. You know, I found once I was out of the army that planning parties was almost as much fun as planning battles," the Queen Mother said. "We'll have to have lunch together so that we work out the guest list and things." Lily nodded. "So, Lily, what do you want to do with your life?" James choked on his tea and gave his mother a shocked look.

"Being a queen is a big job, isn't it, mother?" he asked.

"Let her answer, James." Lily glanced between James and Desdemona, worriedly.

"Well, I," she began. James was staring at her, with a look in his eyes that Lily had never seen before. "I thought about going to university." James looked away from her. "But plans can change. Nothing's set in stone."

"Have you applied anywhere?" Desdemona asked.

"Yes, to a couple of places."

"And?"

"I got accepted to all of them."

"James did tell me how well you do in school. So, what do you plan on majoring in?" Lily glanced at James. He did not look happy.

"I was planning on something in physical defense. I've always been interested in being active," Lily said.

"You have a caller, Your Majesty," a butler said. James stood up and excused himself. Lily watched him go, feeling uncharacteristically sad.

"He's more like his father than he thinks," Desdemona said. Lily turned back to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"After being king for so long, you get used to having things your way. James wants you to be his wife and being queen is a full time job. He knows that. He knows that if you two were to get married as soon as you graduate, which I'm sure is what he has in mind, you will not be able to pursue a degree of any sort. He has his idea of what's going to happen and the thought that maybe you have other plans never permeated his skull."

"I'm sure he wants me to be happy," Lily said.

"Oh, darling, of course he wants you to be happy. He, like his father, just thought that you want what he wants, which isn't always true. That's a battle you'll have to fight on your own…………………… But promise me, darling, that if you choose to go to university that you'll go."

"I never want to upset him."

"There's no point in wanting that. If you get married you're going to upset each other once and a while. It's like a rule or something."

"I can't deal with this right now," Lily said. "I'm sorry, I need some time to think." She stood up.

"Oh, no! I didn't mean to scare you away!" Desdemona reached out to stop Lily.

"It's not you." Lily turned away.

"James doesn't mean anything by it, Lily!" Desdemona called. "He just doesn't know any other way. It's your job as his wife to teach him."

"I'm eighteen, Your Majesty!" Lily yelled looking back at the Queen Mother. "I'm not ready to be anyone's wife!" She turned back around and came face to face with James. He did not look happy. Lily rushed past him and out of the indoor garden.

"Why did you do that, mother?" he asked harshly.

"She has plans, James, that you apparently didn't know about. Did you just expect her to drop everything for you?" Desdemona asked.

"You know, mother, all I wanted from you was to make nice with my girlfriend. I didn't ask you to scare her away from me," James said.

"Her fear is a sign that she isn't ready to be a queen-" James raised a hand to tell her to stop talking. When she did he turned and went after Lily.

----

Sirius sauntered into Serena Nerone's office. He had had detention with her every school day for the last two months. He was surprised he had not been suspended yet, for so many detentions. She was not in her office when he got there, so he sat down behind her desk and waited for her to arrive.

Sirius and Serena had not moved quite as far in their relationship as James and Lily, but they had gotten close. He did not want her to think all he wanted from her was sex. He certainly did want it though.

He leaned back in her chair and put his feet on her desk. He did not think he had any right to complain about how slow they were moving. Sirius thought it was great just to be with her. It was one thing. He would get it eventually. Why make a big deal out of it now?

Sirius put his feet down when he heard voices outside the door. When the door opened he saw Serena bidding Jon Smeth goodbye. She turned to Sirius and smiled. She winked at him and closed the door.

"You have been a very bad boy, Sirius Black," she purred. Serena crawled onto her desk and made sure Sirius got a great view of her cleavage.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Very bad. Need a spanking, don't I?"

"Sirius!" she squealed sitting up.

"What?"

"I was talking about snogging, you blasted pervert!" Serena said, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on," he said. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "Tons of unperverted guys like being spanked."

"First, 'unperverted' isn't a word. Second those guys are perverted, they're just very good at hiding it. And third, perhaps I should just hit you." Serena hit Sirius lightly on the chest. He smiled, pulled her closer and kissed her. Much to her dismay he pulled away just as she was starting to really enjoy the kiss. "What?" she asked.

"My dad's getting really pissed about all of these detentions," he said. He sat back down behind her desk. "He's worried that I'm going to get in real trouble if I keep 'this' up. Whatever 'this' is."

"You've been telling your father that you're in detention all this time?" she asked. She slid off the desk and leaned against the edge.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"I haven't been reporting them, so technically they aren't detentions. And besides, I don't think that what we're doing is exactly punishment."

"I don't know if I agree with that," Sirius said smirking.

"Oh really?"

"Oh yeah."

"And what about this is punishment?"

"Well, you're standing in front of me, all sexy like, and if I were to touch you the way I wanted to, you'd smack me. I can't think of a punishment that is more cruel and unusual," Sirius said. Serena smiled kindly down at him.

"You're right, you know?" she asked falling into his lap. "I don't shag chaps that haven't taken me out to dinner."

"You won't let me take you out to dinner. I'd do it."

"Not until you graduate."

"Yes, I know. 'I might lose my job.' And all that rubbish." Sirius smiled at her appalled look.

"Do you want me to lose my job?" she asked.

"Of course not. Dating a teacher is a lot sexier than it seems. It's like the secretly kinky librarian or the lawyer that's into bondage. Really hot to think about," he said. Serena hit him playfully and then kissed him.

"You are perverted, Sirius Black," she said. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Yes, but don't tell anyone," he said. He propped his feet on her desk again and cradled her in his arms. "Lily would never let me live it down and I don't think that Remus would be able to look at me seriously ever again."

"Do you Sirius-ly?" she asked smiling.

"Arggg! I don't even make that joke anymore!" he said.

"But it's funny."

"Yeah, the first time, not the fiftieth."

"Laugh at my joke!" she demanded. 

"No, it isn't funny."

"I don't care, laugh at it!"

"No."

"If you love me, you'll laugh at my very funny joke."

Needless to say, he laughed. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Pagan development is characterized by a rapid growth in maturity if not in body. Unlike humans Pagans are ready for more advance situations early in life. Humans develop rather slowly by natures standards. Humans wait for sex long past puberty, while Pagans begin having sex right around ten and eleven." – First paragraph of the sequel to this story, called Dirty Laundry. (It's Harry's story, this story will lead up to that story.)

A/N: I know you must hate me by now, I made you wait forever and this chapter isn't even that long. Sorry!

Disclaimer: Very little of this story isn't mine. But some of the characters are based on characters J.K. Rowling created.

Chapter Six

If you thought Lily was a wreck when she was nervous, you have not seen her when she was terribly upset about something. First she would run away from whatever it was that upset her, second she would do everything physically possible to be alone until she figured out what she wanted to do, and last but not least she would cry. Though Lily knew crying solved nothing she often could not help herself when she was upset.

Unfortunately Lily had never been terribly upset during the time she had been with James. So, James did not know that it was a very good idea to let Lily be alone for maybe a half hour before going to talk to her. 

He found Lily sobbing in the corner of his personal library. And of course he went to her side and tried to talk to her.

"Lily-love," he said. He put his arm around her and tried to pull her closer to him. But she was not having any of that. She pulled away from him and took comfort in the corner. "Darling, please don't cry. This isn't a big deal, we'll figure it out. Like you said plans change."

Lily choked out a sob and shook her head. She mumbled something that James could not really make out and then wiped her eyes with her skirt.

"Lily, I don't want you to do anything you aren't ready for," he said. Lily made a noise of disbelief in response. 

James knew that what he had said was not quite true. He would be very disappointed if Lily did not want to get married soon. He had plans he was tired of stalling, but he wanted his companion to be with him when he finally put them into action.

"Lily," he said softly. "I have waited one hundred and fifty years for you. And if I have to I'll wait one hundred and fifty more. Just tell me what you want."

Lily made an incoherent plea then buried her face in her skirt. James sighed and looked away from her. Lily sniffled and looked at him through her watery eyes. She made her incoherent plea again. He looked back at her.

"Darling, I don't know what you're saying," he said. She tried again. James shook his head and she began to cry harder. James tried to soothe her as best he could, but she still did not want him terribly close to her. 

Instead she held her hands out and mimed herself eating something. "You want something to eat?" James asked. He sighed and wondered what he had gotten himself into. He just had to fall in love with the most complicated of females. She nodded at his suggestion. "What do you want to eat?" he asked. She sniffled and used her dress to wipe her eyes.

"Kake," she said or at least that's what James heard.

"Kake," he repeated her. She shook her head and waved her hands around uselessly. "Kake, kake……… cake?" he guessed.

"Ah ha!" she said. She pointed at him and nodded her head.

"Cake, you want cake?" he asked. She nodded again. "Well, cake is very doable." She waved her hands for him to go get it. "Oh, ah, right then. I'll get that for you." He got up and left the library. Lily brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Marriage. The thought of it freaked her out. Most girls at her age had thought about all of the facets of their wedding. But most girls are not Lily Evans. Lily Evans thought of herself as a free spirit. A bird if you will. If she wanted to be tied down she would get her wings clipped willingly, she would not have it forced upon her. And that's how she felt.

Lily watched the door of the library open. James walked in with a slice of chocolate cake lying perfectly on a china plate. She could smell the sweet frosting and her mouth began to water.

Lily uncurled herself from the corner and got on her knees. She looked at the cake with wide eyes. It looked flawless. She knew that it would taste as good as it looked. And somewhere through the swamp of lust that had become her mind a thought sparked. Did James know how good that cake looked? Did he pick that piece of cake because it was the best, most delicious piece? And if he did, why would he give it to her?

James handed Lily the plate and reached into his pocket for a fork. Lily was not about to wait that long though. She began to pick at her cake right away. James held out the fork as Lily sucked the chocolate off of her fingers. He smiled and sat back down next to her. Once her fingers were clean she reached out for the fork. James gave it to her and watched in amusement as she continued to eat. 

She cleaned the plate and fought the urge to lick the remaining chocolate from the china. Lily sat the plate down and turned to James. She got on her knees, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you," she whispered once the kiss had ended. James gave her a short kiss.

"You are very welcome," he said.

----

For the first time James watched Lily sleep in his bed. She liked being where she was comfortable and that usually meant in her own apartment. But that night, for whatever reason, she said that it would be okay if they stayed at his place. She also told him not to get used to it.

Lily did not really like the palace. Well, that's not entirely true. She thought it was beautiful and left the right impression on whoever visited it. But it was not a place that she could ever picture living in. In Lily's mind a home was a place to be comfortable. And in Lily's mind comfortable meant pajamas. You simply could not walk around the palace in pajamas. There were always too many people about.

James leaned against the backboard of his bed looking down at his loved one. They had not really solved their problem. James still wanted to get married soon, and Lily had not agreed to that. He had told the truth, though. If she wanted to wait, he would.

Lily rolled over in her sleep and wrapped her arm around James' waist. She was having a hard time sleeping. The events of that day still plagued her mind. She did not know what she wanted. She had never thought about not going to university. Even as a child she just figured that she would be going. Her family had never been particularly rich and she knew that it would be hard for her father to send three children to university at the same time. But he said that if it was what she wanted he would do his best to make it happen for her.

Lily sat up and rubbed her eyes. James watched her as she looked around his and situated herself in his bed. She knew what he said about waiting for her, but she was not sure she believed him. And she did not want to lose him just because she decided to go to university for a couple of years. Besides there was no way she could pay off her college debt with a waitressing job.

James stroked Lily's cheek with the back of his hand. She leaned into his touch and fell into his chest. "You all right, Lily Love?" he asked.

"I don't want to go," she said. James tilted his head.

"You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to, love," he said.

"I don't want to go to university," she whispered. James blinked down at her.

"No one's making you go."

"Yes, but I just." She let out a frustrated growl. "I'm having a hard time getting used to the idea of not going. I just always thought I would. Even with papa's money troubles and my inability to keep a job without someone else convincing my boss not to fire me, I always thought I would go! And now all of the sudden I don't think I want to." Lily grabbed onto the short curly hairs on James' chest and pouted.

"Lily Love, why have you decided not to go?" he asked. He rubbed his hand up and down her back while his other hand played with the sheet lying loosely around her waist.

"I can't lose you," she whispered. James tightened his hold on Lily and sighed.

"You're right, you know?" he said. Lily looked up at him, confusedly. "Lily Evans, you would have to jump very far out of character to push me away from you. I'm like a bloody barnacle, it takes a lot more work then it's worth to get it off." Lily smiled and sat up.

"You're a lot cuter than a barnacle," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"And you needn't worry about money. If you want it is yours. I'll buy you the ruddy university if it makes you happy," James said. He slid his lips over her jaw.

"I don't need a university to tell me I'm smart," Lily pulled away and looked at James, "you'll do that, right?"

"You, Lily Claire Evans are the brightest, smartest, most brilliant lass I've ever had the pleasure of pleasuring," James said. Lily smiled and blushed a little.

"I better be." She leaned in for another kiss. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Ignorance breeds fear, while sex breeds children and naughty thoughts in teenagers." – Me!

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I had this chapter started a different way and just the other day I decided I didn't like it, so I had to start all over again. Be happy for me I'm eighteen!

Chapter Seven

Lily Claire Evans loved meeting new people. She loved the way she could talk about herself without being called conceited. She loved that she could hear about others without being called nosey. Yep, Lily loved new people. That is probably why she loved babies. They are the newest people, right? She certainly liked her old friends too, but she could not deny herself the new flavor of a person she had never met before.

Lily was always the first person to introduce herself to the new kid in school. Her peers called her 'Miss Popular' because she seemed to know everyone. That's not to say she liked everyone, but she definitely knew them. Unless the person Lily was to was of immense importance you would not see Lily fret about meeting anyone.

But, of course, when faced with meeting her future father-in-law she was having a panic attack. You might say that she was over reacting. He cannot possibly be that bad. If he loves his son, which he undoubtedly does, he will of course love the person his son chose. This would be true if her future father-in-law was not the former king.

Teresa Franklin rubbed her best friend Lily Evans' back as she breathed into a paper bad. Teresa played with a strand of her hair while she tried to think of something supportive to say. When she finally did speak she just ended up making it worse.

"I'm sure that he won't be mocking you to your face," Teresa said. Lily looked up at her friend in disbelief. The look soon faded back to one of panic. 

"You are not helping!" Lily exclaimed. She got up and started pacing in her tiny kitchen. She heard Teresa sigh. "Why are you sighing?" she demanded of her friend. "What do you have to sigh about! You're not going to meet the former king! Are you? Are you?"

"Lily, where's the king?" Teresa asked. Lily regained her composure.

"Why?"

"Because he's your betrothed-"

"He is not!" Teresa stared at Lily for a moment.

"What?" she asked finally.

"He never asked me to marry him," Lily said a-matter-of-factly. Teresa blinked and tried to make sense of her friend.

"You said that you were to meet your future father-in-law," she said.

"And I am." Lily looked expectantly at her friend. Teresa shock her head, it was starting to hurt.

"You're making my head hurt, Lily." She started rubbing her temples.

"He never asked me to marry him, but he did inform me that we would someday soon be getting married. He hasn't even bought me a ring." Lily thrust her left hand out for Teresa to see. As expected there was no ring on her left hand.

"Why didn't you ask him to get you a ring? Or to ask you to marry him properly?" Teresa asked. Lily huffed and flopped down in the chair next to her friend.

"He can be very persuasive," she said. Teresa smiled.

"So, basically, you get off and he gets whatever he wants?"

"You make it sound so foul," Lily pouted. Teresa just laughed. "You're ignoring the bigger problem here!" Lily pounded her fists on her kitchen table.

"And what is that? That 'miss popular' is afraid of meeting someone new?" Teresa snorted.

"First of all that snort was real feminine," she began, "and second the meeting with his mother did not go well and he said that his father is the one that I should be worried about."

"Then why aren't you talking to him about it?"

"I know he'll just tell me I'm being silly and then convince me that I'm being silly."

"Well, if I were you I'd definitely insist on a proper engagement ring, then it would feel like an actual betrothal."

"He'd probably just convince me that it isn't necessary. I wish he wasn't so bloody good with his hands!" Lily said indignantly.

"Do you really?" Teresa asked, surprised.

"No…" Lily admitted. She was about to add something when someone knocked at the door. She sighed dramatically and answered it. Sirius walked into Lily's kitchen and started looking through her drawers. "Can I help you with something, oh brother of mine?" Lily asked.

"Do you have any ribbon?" he asked. Lily gave him an odd look. "I'm taking Serena out on our first date tonight and I got her some flowers, but they're ugly in the paper they were wrapped in so I want some ribbon to tie around them." There was a moment of silence in the small kitchen.

"Are you sure you're not gay?" Teresa asked.

"Shut up, you hateful bitch," Sirius snapped.

"Sirius," Lily said. He turned his attention back to his sister. "Do I look like the kind of girl that keeps ribbon?" she asked. Sirius sighed dejectedly.

"I just want the flowers to look nice for her."

"Understandable," Lily said, "go to craft store and buy some ribbon."

"I spent all of my money on the flowers or I would!" Sirius threw his arms up in frustration. "If this date doesn't go perfectly I don't think she's going to let me sleep with her." Lily made a noise of utter disgust.

"You're such a hypocrite, Lily," Teresa said. 

"What?" Lily asked. "I don't need to hear about who will and who won't sleep with my brother."

"Lily we were just talking about your inability to-"

"Blahh! I don't need to hear it!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Gods! You're both hypocrites!"

"Teresa, who told you what hypocrite means?" Lily asked.

"Shut up, you whore."

----

Sirius had never been more uncomfortable in his entire life. He was in a suit which was wrong on so many levels in his book. On top of that he was bored out of his mind. Who would have thought that ballet would be so intolerable? The only reason that he was not sleeping at that point was because Serena's dress was very short on her legs. The problem soon became that Sirius was getting a little too excited.

He shifted uncomfortably. He was fighting for control of his urges. Serena was no oblivious to his discomfort. At first she was a little put off by his lack of attention to the show, but once she looked down at his pants she just thought it was funny. In an effort to extend her amusement she hiked up her shirt a little more. He noticeably gulped.

Serena realized that she was having a little too much fun tormenting him, when he started shifting uncomfortably. She could not keep herself from grinning. She loved the fact that she had that kind of effect on him. Serena reached over, placed her hand on his thigh and gave it a squeeze. Sirius made a pathetic noise and Serena's smiled got wider.

Serena kissed Sirius' ear and whispered to him, "You want to get out of here?" He nodded fervently. The leggy brunette and the over excited eighteen year old snuck out the back of the theater. They slipped into Serena's personal carriage and promptly began snogging each other's brains out.

They reached Serena's grand home and Sirius was already half naked hoping that Serena would soon by in the same state. The snogging couple fell out of the carriage. Serena pulled Sirius through the door and up to her room. She shed her clothes with so quickly that she left Sirius speechless. Her shift, clever hands relieved her lover of the rest of his clothes and pushed him into her bed. She straddled his waist and snapped her fingers turning off the lights.

Exactly three hours later Sirius laid spread eagle in Serena's bed. He was so exhausted he did not know where he got the energy to breathe let alone keep his eyes open. Serena's head lay in the crook of his neck and he could feel her eyes fluttering shut. He soon followed suit and feel asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

"… In fact I avoided London as much as physically possible. There are eyes and ears everywhere in London. There is no such thing as a sacred, private death. There is no way to hid it. But somehow these hit men have flourished there. Destroying life after life, chasing an elusive pay check…" – an excerpt from one of my personal stories call Forgive Me, My Dear. If you would like to read more just review me or send a personal message through my profile.

A/N: Hey, what is up? How's everyone been doing? What? You've been miserable because I haven't been updating?! That's terrible. I wish that I had a good excuse for not updating but the best I've got is writer's bloke on almost all of my stories. At least the ones on Fanfiction. 

This chapter is short but sets up a lot. If you've read the original Ten Years in Lost Memory I think you might be able to figure out what the first bit of this chapter is about. I hope you enjoy and I will try to update some of my other stories. 

I have a start on the next chapter for The Heir to a Dead Man Empire and some pretty cool ideas about it running through my head. I hope to get that up soon. I also have a start to another Katie and Oliver one shot if anyone is reading those.

I'm really sorry for the wait, but I've been sick the past few days and that was right after I found out that I was no longer needed at my job. I didn't get fired exactly (even though it feels like I did) I was just seasonal. Wish me luck in finding a new job and I sincerely hope that this chapter was worth the wait. But I have a feeling that it wasn't.

Look on the bright side, at least I'm writing again.

Chapter Eight

When Athor Highland was a child his one and only ambition was to become the best general the Tunisian army had ever seen. So, at twenty five years old he enlisted as a troop. For seventy five years he served his army as best he could. But still he began to believe that his dream would never come true. On his one hundredth birthday King George Juarez I appointed him the general of four hundred new soldiers. His was the biggest set of troops in the history of the Tunisian army.

Athor Highland would be turning four thousand in two months. Throughout all of that time he had loyally served seven queens and five kings. For the longest time his favorite of all those royals was King Harold the Great. That was until King James was crowned. The young royal looked to Athor for guidance in a way that no other king had. James' blind trust in him inspired a fierce loyalty in Athor.

It seemed to Athor that throughout the years of his reign James had outgrown Tunisia. The good that he had done as a king, it seemed, touched the lives of too few people. Even though many people from the surrounding kingdoms had moved into Tunisia once James had proved himself a good king, it still seemed like he could do more. It surprised Athor to find out that he was not the only who thought so. To his great astonishment James had plans that he knew nothing about. The expanding army and his new position told him that.

James appointed Athor to the new position of Commander of Generals. Finally Athor had gotten his dream, but in a way that he never thought possible. The position had never existed before James basically made it up. When Athor asked him why the position was necessary, James was annoyingly ambiguous. But soon he found out. The army started to get bigger. James would appoint at least one general a month. Not only that but the number of people enlisting peaked as well.

With the Tunisian Army bigger than it had ever been all eyes were on James, waiting with anticipation for his next move. But unfortunately for those people expecting something to happen quickly, James did nothing for one hundred and twenty five years. Athor heard nothing from James about plans for the army until after he had found his love.

James called Athor to his office. Athor knew that it was important because he was half away across the country when James called him. It took him two weeks of constant riding to get back to the capital. And once he arrived he went straight to his king.

"Athor," James said, "I need you to do something for me."

"You know I will do anything you ask," Athor said.

"Good."

----

If clumsiness, a confusing mind, and an inability to articulate her feelings did not make Lily Claire Evans even mildly unappealing, than her irrational stubbornness certainly would. When Lily wanted something done her way, then good Gods it was done her way. 

And Lily had it in her mind that she would not meet her future father in law without a proper engagement ring on her finger. She secretly hoped that James would refuse to give an engagement ring and that she could then refuse to meet his father. It was unlikely to work out that way, but Lily could hope.

So when James came to pick her up to meet his father she greeted him at the door saying, "James, I refuse to meet your father until there is a proper engagement ring on my hand." She stuck her left hand in his face.

"Darling," he sighed.

"Don't you 'darling' me. I won't be swayed by your quick words and amazing hands. It won't happen. Not this time!"

"Lily, we haven't got time for this," James said.

"Well, bloody make time. I haven't got the personality to not get what I want when I want it. Now, either you put a ring on this finger or you go to that dinner alone."

"Fine, I'll get you a ring. Now, let's go." James grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her out the door. His father had the tendency to make him less patient than he usually was.

"Wait, what? No." James stopped and looked at Lily. "You're supposed to completely deny the ring and then I was supposed to get mad and refuse to meet your father, we would argue and then have really hot mad at each other sex instead of visiting your father." James stood blinking at Lily for a moment.

"Lily, that is completely mental. Unfortunately, we have to go meet my father now." He led Lily out of her apartment building, while she continued to complain about not getting, "…hot mad at each other sex."

----

Former King Richard George Juarez IV looked almost exactly like his son, present King James Richard Juarez XVIII. At least Richard looked like James in Lily's eyes. They had the same perpetually messy, jet black hair, the devilish glint in their eyes, the same slender, yet muscular stature. They even dressed a like.

But even Lily, who admittedly sometimes missed the obvious, noticed the differences between father and son. First and foremost James never looked at her like he wanted to bite her head off, spit it out then beat her limp body with it. The thought that he might be able to made her nervous.

Lily shrunk down in her seat, and behind James' shoulder, hoping in vain that Richard would forget that she was there.

"What did you say, is your lover's name is?" Richard asked. James gave his father a decidedly uninterested look.

"Lillian Claire Evans," he said.

"Evans?" Richard sounded mildly inquisitive, it made Lily nervous. "It sounds familiar."

"It's not an uncommon name I suppose," James said. 

Lily silently noted that James did not address his father with any warmth in his voice. And his eyes showed no sign of affection. Richard did not seem to mind and did not present any sort loving gestures to his son. If Sirius or Remus acted like that to Auberon they would have gotten their asses kicked.

"I was thinking more a long the line of legally," Richard said.

"Perhaps we could talk about something pleasant for once. Marriage plans, maybe," James said.

"Life isn't pleasant, James. Surely you know that by now. You've been king, how long has been? A hundred some years?" If it were physically possible steam would have been coming out of James' ears at that point. "Anyway, party planning is really more of your mother's forte. Kings don't talk about weddings, James. Kings talk politics."

"Must you do this in front of my betrothed?" James demanded. Richard leaned back on his cushioned seat.

"You think that my intentions are immediately foul," he began.

"That is simply because your intentions usually are quite foul," James said, curtly. His tone was so formal that Lily could feel the aggression behind everything he said.

"Again you think that this meeting must be pleasant. Do you not agree that the future queen of this land needs to be used to the unpleasant?" Richard made no indication that Lily was going to be the future queen.

"Indeed, but I do not agree that she be subjected to those things that are made unpleasant at her expense."

If Lily had been alone with James or really in the company of anyone but Richard, she would have asked him to repeat what he had just said in English.

"And what makes you think that what I have to say will be?" James smiled. It was not a happy smile.

"Regardless of what you may believe, father, I have met you before."

"Then you obviously don't know me very well."

"A problem that we both seem to have concerning each other."

Richard glared at James. He had had enough petty squabbling with his son. He wanted badly to wipe that smug grin off of James' face.

"Was your father Cormac Evans?" Richard asked Lily. Well, more like barked in her general direction. It was the first time that he addressed her as more than just a part of his son. In response to Richard's demand Lily squeaked and nodded. "The same Cormac Evans who was executed by you future husband for engaging in a sexual relationship with the Claire Donelly?" Lily's eyes got wide and James began to realize what his father was getting at. "How could you marry the person responsible for the deaths of your parents?" 


	9. Chapter 9

"It is the way it is, because we are the way we are." – Ivan Ward (i.e. Me)

A/N: Serious writer's block. Do enjoy.

Chapter Nine

Lily Claire Evans is rarely in such a mood that she can not possibly think of a single thing to say. Anyone who has met her knows that shutting up is not one of her strong suits. In the most simplistic terms Lily liked to talk. Even if there was absolutely nothing to talk about.

So, finding Lily completely silent should have worried James to the point of lunacy. Nothing could possible be worse for their relationship than a quiet Lily Evans. But unfortunately James had not known Lily quite long enough to know that he was in trouble. He had not even known her long enough to know that leaving her alone in such a state was not a good idea.

He did, though.

He would later assert that he had no choice. That he felt it was best for everyone involved if he most ungraciously removed (i.e. kicked) his father out of his house. While he was gone Lily got up and left. Well, not really left. She just walked away from where she had been. She was not rushing, but she made sure to be out of sight by the time James got back. To be honest Lily did not really know where she was going.

Lily would often found herself confused. It was usually her own doing. But she rarely found herself confused about being sad. You see, Lily did not know if she should be sad or mad or if it truly was James' fault. What it came down to was the fact that James had no way of knowing he would end up loving Lily. He was merely following High Law. If he had not done so, he would have gotten in trouble.

Truth be told, the matter was never brought to James' attention until it was managed. Unfortunately, Lily did not know that. Most common people thought that their king managed everything that happened in the kingdom. That, of course, was not the case. The local government managed that sort of thing.

Those facts aside, Lily was still torn.

So, she went home.

----

James could feel the anger prickling at his finger tips. As he had expected his father had taken a delicate situation and dropped it on the floor. He stared at Lily's empty chair hoping, almost wishing that she would just sit back down. He had known that this meeting would not go well, but he had not expected what had happened.

"My Lord," James looked up at Athor. "I have sent two guards after Lily with the charge to watch her every move." James nodded.

"Good, good." He stood silently for a moment. "Athor have you done what I asked?"

"Primary construction has been completed," Athor said. James shook his head and sighed.

"Give me more, Athor."

"All of the vaults below the throne room have been successfully made into one large chamber. I could easily gather the generals and finish the job within a few hours."

"Good, do it," James said. He looked back down at Lily's empty chair.

"If I may say, James," Athor said, "perhaps you should talk to her. Explain that it was out of your control." James shook his head.

"I am king, Athor. This kingdom is my responsibility. It's goings on are all on me. I am the symbol, to the people, of their government. Anything the government does is my doing. All actions the government makes are mine. By all truth and honesty, I killed her parents."

"You can not possibly control all of Tunisia," Athor said. "Complete control is impossible." James shook his head, again.

"Aye, though that maybe, how can I hope to control this whole continent if I can not control my own kingdom? Or, for the Gods sake, my father's very words?"

"My Lord, you incriminate yourself unjustly." Athor laid his hand on James' shoulder. He swatted his general's hand away.

"If I do not head this government," with every word James' voice rose, "then who does?! Who will take blame for what the governors and mayors do, if not me? This land and all of its elected officials are my responsibility! They are my voice and rule among the people. When I am afar they are my judgment! And may I say, had I been there, when judgment on her, my love's parents, was to be made, I would no have made time for mercy on them. And you would not have advised me otherwise. You know this to be true, my friend. Her parents' blood stains my tunic."

"You could not have possibly know, my lord. You can be sure that had the courts known there was a child judgment would have been dealt differently."

"So, it is Lily's fault."

"No, my lord. It is ignorance that committed the crime."

"Ignorance is my only excuse. How could I have possibly known? What sort of reasoning is that? What should I tell my lover? Sorry, my beauty, but I did not know there was a child? Please forgive my over sight in the deaths of your parents."

"Can you find no peace, James? You know well that if they had not been killed for their crimes all fault would fall on you," Athor said.

"Perhaps it should have."

"How can you blame yourself for so much?"

"Do you love, Athor?"

"I love you, my lord."

"Do you have a lover, Athor? A body that you lay with? A lover?" Athor hesitated.

"Yes, my lord."

"It is for love that I blame myself. Her mother and father loved each other and could not make the appeal. Love knows no sex, no age, and it certainly does not know species. They were killed for their love," James said.

"They could have gotten an appeal."

"Could they? Could they really have gotten an appeal? Was her mother not married? What court would have granted an appeal to a married Dien? None would have and you know it." They were quiet for a moment.

"All I can think to say, my lord, is that the past is gone. There is nothing you can now do about it."

"May you always relieve me of my guilt," James said. "Though you do it wrongfully."

"I do it for love of you. If a few words can ease your soul for moment, I will speak 'til I no longer can breath if only for your peace."

"Your loyalty to me is foolish and powerful."

"I will die before any hand raises against you or your kin. My blood for your life. Such is my oath," Athor swore.

"I would have you kill all those generals who do not abide by it," James said.

"Command me, Lord, and it shall come to pass."

"None, but those loyal generals may know of what is below my throne. You must kill the builders. And all of those generals who are not completely loyal. But be careful in what you do. Your actions are now mine."

----

James rarely slept. And when he did it was not a sound sleep. His mind hovered on the edge of consciousness. Asleep enough to relax, but awake enough to know no rest. When night fell upon the land the thought of rest, or at the very least stop of work, became exceedingly appealing. Especially after a particularly stressful day. Which just happened to be the sort of day James had just had.

James walked slowly through his palace and up to his bed chambers. He informed the guards at his door to only allow Athor in. He strolled lazily across the grand chamber to the bedroom. As he went he blew out each and every candle, relishing in the blissful darkness that followed the extinguishing of each flame. James entered his bed room and closed the door to the other room. Slowly, he stripped off his clothes and lay down in bed.

His mind wisped to the very edge of his consciousness and all of that day's events slipped away. His breathe slowed to a point that would have killed a human. All responsiveness dimmed, but not enough to not notice the door opening. He quickly realized it was not Athor who entered his room. Athor was always sure to identify himself immediately. And he never climbed onto James' bed. He would have worried had he not caught a whiff of the intruder. The smell of flowers in a spring rain invaded his nostrils. He knew well that it was Lily leaning over his head. He opened his eyes.

"When my mother left me at the door of the orphanage she placed with me a note. The note indicated my name and a saying she thought I should live by. Do you want to hear it?" she asked. He nodded. "When night breaks into day, first we must stand, but after that is the sun."

"Lily-"

"My mother was in love. She risked her life, her family, everything she had for love. She died for that love. A forbidden love, but a true one. I am made of that love. I lead a blessed life, a loving life. And if things hadn't happened the way they did who knows if I would be here now." James smiled.

"Love knows not the failures and triumphs of life. Only the heart to which it is designed," James whispered. "I will stand."

"And I will be your sun to light your way through the darkest times."

"And when you must stand I will light your way."


	10. Chapter 10

"Sex is only dirty when you're doing it right." – Woody Allen

A/N: Sorry for the wait on this chapter. I hope you like it!

Chapter Ten

Lillian Clair Evans could not, at the moment anyway, think of anything she liked more than getting gifts. Sure she enjoyed giving gifts. Seeing the happiness shine in someone's eyes as she presented them with something she picked out all by herself. It almost measured up to how much she loved pretending to be surprised when she received a gift in return.

Lily lay sprawled over James' bare, hairy stomach examining the tiny velvet box he had just presented her with. She could tell that he was getting impatient. He wanted her to open it and then thank him for it, over and over and over again. But little did he know that his future queen liked to savor all of her gift, especially the ones given to her in bed.

James sighed one more time hoping that would clue her into his desires. But Lily managed to ignore him and the growing tent around his middle. He would have to wait until she had memorized every angle to the small package in her hand. She ran the back of her finger nail over the gold hinges and wondered if it was real. Lily quickly decided that it was. James would never present her with a velvet box hinged in fake gold. He liked to pamper her and she liked being pampered.

"Do you know what velvet is made out of?" she asked. James growled in frustration. He had been waiting for her to say something. He had hoped it would be why she was taking so long to open the box he had given her. Lily giggled at his frustration and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Come on now, love," she whispered, knowing how intimate she sounded. "You've lived a great many years longer than I have, you must know what velvet's made out of."

"Aye, I have lived a great many years longer than you have," he said. Her breathy laugh wisped across his chest, making the strain at in his groin harder to ignore. "And never in those long years has anyone taken so bloody long to open a damn box!"

"Oh, pish posh, James. This is not just a box." She held her gift in front of his face.

"It is just a box, Lily. I should know I picked it out."

"No, James. You gave this box to me, which means that I can take as long as I like opening it. It also means that this is a gift, right?" Lily crawled up James' chest, holding her gift tightly in her hand.

"It is indeed a gift, one that I may have to demand be returned if you don't open it soon," he said, smiling down at her. His fingers tickled across her bare bum, revealing that there were many other things he would rather do than take back his gift.

"You will have to pry this box from my cold dead hands, James Juarez! And if you don't learn some patience, Your Majesty, I'm going to have to insist you take your hand off my bum."

"I don't believe for one second that you'd ever honestly ask me to do that."

"Perhaps if you were groping me in front my father, I would," Lily pointed out. "Or if it was in front of your father. You must swear never to touch me intimately in front of him! I don't think I could stand the embarrassment."

"Lily, my love," James said, bringing his hands up to cradle her shoulders. "I do believe we've gotten off topic. You have yet to open your gift."

"Oh right."

Lily balanced the box on her finger tips and held it up in a ray of moon light. She noticed the slight pattern pressed into the velvet and eagerly trance the pad of her finger over it.

"Lily!" James said, exasperated.

"Don't you know that it's rude to simply rip into a gift?" Lily demanded. "If you don't pay proper attention to the wrapping whoever gave the gift will wonder why they bothered to wrap it in the first place."

"I hardly bothered to wrap it, Lily," James said. "I just put it in a box."

"Ah, but not just any box. You put it in a black velvet box with a gold hinge and swirly design all over it. Now aren't you glad I noticed? Aren't you so much happier that you gave me this, knowing that I would appreciate every nook and cranny?"

"Lily, I hardly noticed any of that."

"So this means nothing to you then. You just picked out a box and handed it to me? With no thought at all?" she asked.

"I will give you three seconds to open that box before I take it from you," James said.

"You didn't even answer my question!"

"One."

"Go head, take it. See if I care."

"Two."

"You wouldn't dare! You gave it to me!"

"Three."

"Fine! I'll open it, but I'll have you know that you've completely ruined my fun."

Lily popped open the box and squealed. The one thing that Lily loved more than gifts were sparkly gifts. And what lay waiting in that box was a very sparkly gift. There were two rings nestled in the velvet box. One white gold band was encrusted in tiny diamonds. The other ring had three massive diamonds situated at the top.

"James, is this what I think it is?" Lily asked.

"What do you think it is?" James asked back. Lily squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Lily, my love, will you marry me?" Lily giggled, broke out of James' embrace and jumped up and down on the bed. "Calm down, love. You're jumping is driving me crazy."

"Yes, James, yes I'll marry you!" She gave one last bounce and fell into his arms.

----

Remy stood at the door of Remus' bedroom wearing the tiniest slip she could find. Even though they had been dating, technically speaking, for quite awhile they had yet to have sex. While Remy appreciated his patience and his longing to get to know her emotional and intellectually before they got to know each other physically, she was rather sick of waiting.

She had spent most of her time as his teacher watching him work behind his desk fantasizing about this very moment. And nothing, not even the extremely long book he was reading, was going to stop that.

She had yet to get his attention, but that did not deter her, Remus was always a very deep reader. She snapped the lights off, that certainly got his attention. He looked up and his eyes went wide.

"Remy," he swallowed. "What are you doing?"

Instead of answering him, she smiled and let her hair down, shaking her head seductively. Remy climbed into bed with Remus and reached out for him.

"Marry me!" he yelled suddenly. Quite a bit put off by his sudden out burst, Remy did not respond at first.

"What?" she asked.

"Umm… marry me, please."

"Okay," she said, nodding. Remy reached out for him again, but he pulled away from her.

"Let's wait!" he said.

"For what?"

"Our wedding night." Remy gave him a disbelieving look.

"Have you never done this before, Remus?"

"Yes!"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked.

"You are quite a bit older than me," Remus said. He sounded uncertain and down right uncomfortable.

"So."

"So, you've been doing this for more than a hundred years longer than I have," he said.

"Remus, I don't understand what the problem is," Remy said.

"I'm probably crap."

"Has anyone told you that you were?" she asked.

"Well, no."

"I'm sure you'll be wonderful, Remus."

"How do you know?"

Remy straddled his lap. "Because, I'm not going to give you much of an option." Remus groaned.


	11. Chapter 11

"Inspiration is a fickle thing

"Inspiration is a fickle thing. It comes some times and goes many times." – Danielle Juarez

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I hope it was worth it.

Chapter Eleven

James often times found himself fascinated with Lily. The way she stumbled down the stairs in the morning, her unorthodox way of dealing with the nobility, but especially the look in her eyes when she was working on project. Her current project was their wedding and for the last two months she had been working on making it perfect almost nonstop.

Sure, she asked his opinion on a few things. But James was old enough to know that the wedding was really all about the bride. So, he would just agree with her and smile at how happy that seemed to make her.

He knew though, that the time would come when he would have to tell her what he intended to do once they were married. The thought often times was cause enough to make the smile leave his face.

Currently Lily was sitting on his lap in his office talking nonstop about the wedding. She was showing him pictures of her dress and his suit and talking about whether or not they should insist that the guests wear one color.

"Lily, my love," James whispered in her ear. He felt her shiver as his lips brushed her ear.

"Yes, My King?" He loved it when she called him that. His hands gripped her hips and he pulled her back flush against his chest. But before he let himself get completely distracted by her, he had to tell her about his plans.

"Do you have a dream, Lily?" he asked.

"Well, yes, actually," she said. "I had a dream last night that I was flying on the top of a pumpkin. It was rather odd and I can remember thinking that it would not have been at all comfortable. What with the stem and all, poking into me bum. And it was not long after that I woke up. Because you know that the second you think something rational during a dream, you might as well be waking up your whole bloody head. You know?"

"Do you know how much I love it when you ramble?" James asked.

"No," Lily said. "But now that I think of it, I do ramble quite a bit. Especially about the wedding. Speaking of which what do think about these for my brothers?" she held up a picture of for James.

"Lily?"

"You don't like them? How could you possibly not like them?"

"Lily- Love, please."

"They are perfectly respectable suits I'd like to know what's wrong with them. They match my father's and you said that one was okay. So, what's wrong with them?" Lily demanded.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with them," James said.

"Good, we're in agreement then." Lily got off of James' lap, gave him a quick kiss and headed for the door. "Now, I have to go talk to the caterers. They want to serve lamb, but I know that you prefer beef and they need to understand that the king gets what the king wants."

"Lily, once we are married I plan to invade Ysse." James' office fell into silence. Lily slowly turned back to James, the smile now gone from her face.

"Like the country of Ysse?" she asked. James nodded. "Why? What have they done?"

"It is not so much what they have done, my love. But what I can do for them. People love living in Tunisia. For I am a good, honest, generous, loving king. If I invade Ysse I will be able to improve the quality of life for all that live there," he said.

"James, if you invade Ysse, won't Montenegro declare war on us?" she asked.

"How astute of you, my love."

"Well, isn't that a bad thing?!" Lily demanded.

"Not quite. If they declare war, no one will question when I invade Montenegro."

"How long have you been planning this?!"

"For as long as I have been king." Lily just stared at him for a moment. "Did your father ever wonder about how high the taxes are in this country?"

"Well, yes. He had to charge his tenants large amounts of gallons to be able to afford your taxes. He said it was all right though. All the money was going to the military," Lily said, brightening a bit.

"And it does. My soldiers are expertly trained, outfitted with the finest armor and weaponry. None can with stand my army," James said, pride evident in his voice.

"James, I don't understand. If people wanted to live in Tunisia, why wouldn't they move into the country as is now?" Lily asked.

"My father has never been proud of me, Lily-"

"And if that hasn't changed in the one hundred thirty nine years that you've been the best king this land has ever seen it never will. Your father isn't going to suddenly become proud of you because you've invaded another country!"

"I'm trying to make people's lives better," James said, shortly.

"And you have! The people who live here are some of the happiest people in world. Why isn't that good enough for you?" Lily demanded.

"Lily, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me. Explain why you're going to war right after our wedding."

"I never intended to go right after our wedding. I have yet to prepare battle strategies, or go over invasion and occupation plans with the generals, let alone plans for how to manage the continent once the war is over. One does not invade a land without properly planning it first," James said.

Lily looked at him. Really looked at him. She could see everything he was feeling and thinking in his eyes. He wore his emotions clearly for her, but not for anyone else. She could see how much he loved her, how much he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But she could also see fierce, almost frightening determination. He was going to do this, whether she liked it or not.

Lily took a deep breath. The only thing she could think to do was to prolong the inevitable. It was all she would be able to manage. She wanted him to be happy, but she also wanted there to be peace in her life, in her kingdom.

Lily walked back to James, and sat on his lap again.

"Please, tell me why you have to do this?" she begged. If she was going to concede to him invading every other country on the continent, she at least deserved to know why.

"I have a gift, Lily. I have the gift of money and power. And I have always tried my best to use both in a way that helps the people in my kingdom. I want them to love me, not because I am their king and they feel they must. But because I am good king, who loves them and wants the best for them. My only regret is that I can not spread this gift to all the people of this world.

"I know that invading and warring isn't really the best way to go about accomplishing this, but it is the only way. I have spent the last hundred years of my life researching, studying and thinking about this moment. I have waited for you my love, to join me, to give me the strength to go after this dream. And I need you to support me, to stand beside me and give me your blessing. Will you do that, my love? Will support me in this, my mightiest endeavor?"

Lily pushed James' hair from his eyes and kissed him.

"I will follow you in all that you do. But you must promise me one thing," she said.

"What? You know I will do anything for, Lily."

"Wait for a few years before you do this. Give our marriage a chance to grow and mature before going off to war."

James' fingers played in Lily's hair before tracing their way over her cheek, down the column of her throat to the valley between her breasts. All the while he stayed silent. He was antsy to get the war under way, but had to admit that he could not and would not deny his lover request. But he would do it for not only for her, but for himself as well. Those years would give him time to plan with Athor and his generals.

"I will wait for seven years. Does that please you, my love?" he asked.

"Your every breath pleases me."

Lily smiled, but she felt like crying. Yes, he agreed to wait and seven years was no short amount of time in her young years. She had only been alive for eighteen short years, seven years sounded like a very long time. She knew, though, that seven years would feel like nothing to James and that was why he chose that amount of time.

As Lily walked to out of the palace towards the rose garden on the estate, she slowly succumbed to tears. It was not that she thought James was going to war for trivial reason, in fact she thought his were very good reasons.

No, it was not that.

Lily was scared and Lily did not like being scared. Some where in her subconscious she remembered being a baby (because Pagans can remember being infants) and being scared because her mother had left her a strange place with strange people and she wanted to go where ever her mother had gone.

Lily sat down behind a tree and brought her knees up to her chest. She was scared that James would die in battle. She knew that he was not the sort of ruler who sends others off to fight his battles. He was like the kings and queens of old.

When his or her land went to war, the king or queen went too.

If it was up to her, which it evidently was not, she would go along with him. She would fight by his side, protect him with her life as he would not doubt protect her with his. She would be able to keep an eye on him, instead of being stuck in a castle worrying her bum off that he was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help him.

But Lily, even in her scared state, knew there was no way James would let her go to war with him. Someone needed to stay back, to rule in his stead. She should have been flattered and to a certain extent she was. But it did little to quell the worry growing inside of her.

The Dien were a prideful bunch, there was no way a king or queen was going to have their land invaded without a fight. And she was sure that there were a few kings in nearby kingdoms that were not too happy with James. Lily had always thought that they were jealous of how many people from their kingdoms and many others that moved into Tunisia when James became king.

But at the moment that did not really matter to Lily, all that matter was that in seven years time her true love would be off fighting in a war that might just kill him. And there was nothing she could think of to do.

Lily wiped her tears on her skirt and stood up. There had to be something she could do. Some way to make sure he stayed safe.

She thought for a moment that she could dress up like a soldier and sneak into the army. She quickly nixed that idea. James would be able to feel her in the crowd and the Tunisian army is noted for how well it is managed. There was no way that a new soldier just appearing out of no where would not be noticed.

No, that would never work.

But there had to be something. She would not just sit around dreading the day James would leave her side for war. There had to be something………


End file.
